missdevo's reviews
340 reviews

 Electra Monroe and Exton Quinn are at the top of their respective sports. Elle is one half of the odds on favorite to win the gold medal in pairs figure skating. Exton is a star of the Outlaws, a professional hockey team with hopes to win the Stanley Cup. Once you make it to the top, it’s even harder to stay there, and when this book makes that turn, we’re dealing with two deeply broken people for different reasons.
When I saw the trope list for this book, it read like a shopping list for things I love to read, so you bet I jumped on the opportunity to ARC read it. The first half of this book had me by the throat with anticipation and shock at the devastation Daisy Thorn created for Electra. Then as Exton is introduced, it’s all friction and grumpy/grumpy vibes, and I was getting hype to see how we get to a HEA from where we start with these two. What a ride that turned out to be.
This book has major “Spinning Out” vibes to me, and as a fan of that show, I loved that. It’s a slow burn, so it takes a while to get to the spice, and the delicious tension takes us right to the edge of snapping before it finally breaks. If I had one quibble, it would be that I felt like the ending was so spice heavy that the emotional journey is sort of buried in it.
Thank you so much to Luna Literary MGMT and Daisy Thorn for the ARC opportunity! 

 Santa Monica Baby is the third novella in the Holidays in LA novella series by Kelly Reynolds. I have had both Meet Me in Los Feliz and Venice Actually on my TBR for a while now, so I was excited to get to ARC read this one. In this series, Kelly Reynolds writes fat and queer people having hot sex and falling in love around the holidays around Los Angeles. What’s not to like?
I love that Nellie knows what she likes, and isn’t afraid to go after it. She’s an empowered woman, and we love to see it. Austin is knocked for a loop when the neighbor he’s been secretly crushing on asks him out, and he freaks and runs. A little Christmas magic, and professional rivalry brings them back together with a bang, and Part time Santa, Austin, gets a second chance with the woman of his dreams. Austin is the sweet Cinna-Daddy-Dom of fantasies. If you’re looking for a quick spicy snack to help get you in the holiday mood, this one is a fun time. The dirty talk is hot, and when Austin goes Alpha...have mercy. For a sensitive cat dad, he does Daddy-Dom really well.
Thank you to Torch-Lit Ink and Kelly Reynolds for the ARC opportunity to review. 

 Final Score is the fifth and final installment of The Coach. Aaron Shedlock and Samantha Brentmoor have done a great job with the narration over the course of the story. I have enjoyed their performances throughout.

The finale to Lincoln and Joelle’s story is a doozy. Just when you think the drama can’t possibly be upped after what’s happened so far, in comes Lisa Suzanne with some new surprises. 

The overall story held up for me, but I will say that I’m one of those lucky folks who often can’t remember a ton of details of something I’ve read once I’ve moved onto the next book, so spreading out the episodes did cause me to occasionally struggle to remember where we were at times. I’m guessing this book will all be released as a collection at some point, now that all of the installments are out, and I think I would have personally preferred to read it that way. I struggled to connect emotionally with what was happening at times because of the time gaps between the individual audio releases. They were all basically 2 weeks apart, so I think being able to listen straight through would make it resonate more for me as a reader.

Thanks to Valentine PR and Lisa Suzanne for the opportunity to review this ALC. 

My Darling Jane is the follow up to My Darling Bride (Graham and Emmaline's story) and is the story of Graham's teammate Jasper, and Emmaline's sister Jane. I haven't read My Darling Bride yet, but I enjoyed this book, and Ilsa Madden-Mills writing, so I will be adding it to my TBR. From the beginning it was clear that Jasper and Jane had met before, and it would probably have given some more character insight into them if I had read MDB first, but I don't think it's necessary in order to enjoy MDJ.
This is a sweet, spicy rom-com with some cute kids in the mix. Both Jasper and Jane have issues committing to romantic relationships due to their pasts and feelings of abandonment.  Still, they can't seem to stay away from each other. Jasper is a pro football (American) player, but I wouldn't call this a sports romance. Jane is a struggling matchmaker whose male client roster is thinning more by the minute, and she's desperate to hang on to her business.  She's also a single mom, and I always love it when the MMC falls for the kid too.  Jasper is also caring for his twin nieces during the majority of the story. They're 17 year old girls, and bring all the trouble that implies. 
I found this to be a lighter Rom-Com with some decent spice, so if that's what you're in the mood for, I'd recommend this book. I've read several other works by Ilsa Madden-Mills in the past and feel confident when I see her name, I'll enjoy the story.  
Thank you to Netgalley, Montlake, and Ilsa Madden-Mills for the ARC opportunity. 

This is my first book from Kimberly Knight and Rachel Lyn Adams. It is an MMF, bi-awakening story featuring Austin Butcher and Levi Sexton, teammates on a fictional version of the Boston Bruins. After indulging in a hot night with Kaylee Peters, a woman they met through a teammate, they find themselves developing feelings they didn’t expect, but want to explore further. 

This book is very smut forward. The spice is sizzling hot, it starts early, and it is plentiful and that’s not a complaint, as sometimes that’s what I’m in the mood for. I found the overall plot felt a little thin and rushed to me. The time jumps through the story left it feeling disjointed, and kept me from really developing any emotional attachment to the characters. As a result, the big third act drama and resolution didn’t work for me and it really just took me out of the story. I would say if you’re not worried about plot, but enjoy some really hot MMF spice, check this one out.

Thank you to The Author Agency and Kimberly Knight & Rachel Lyn Adams for the ARC opportunity. 

 Overtime is the penultimate installment of the serial story “The Coach” by Lisa Suzanne. This volume is where the house of cards that Lincoln Nash and Jolene Bailey have been building their hidden relationship on gives way. The villains in the background are stepping forward and making themselves and their goals known, and it’s up in the air whether Lincoln and Jolene’s second chance will work out the way they hope.
There are so many reveals in this book that it’s almost impossible to say more without giving any of them away. All of the secrets and lies are being brought to light, and it’s all up in the air on how things will work their way out this chaos. I will say that this is the most action packed installment of this story so far, and the cliffhanger it leaves us on is pretty spectacular. I am excited to see how Lisa brings everything together in the final episode.
Thanks to Valentine PR and Lisa Suzanne for the opportunity to review this ALC. 

 Sophie Nelson has had a raging lady boner for her older boss, Bram Vogel for nearly a year. He’s been fighting his attraction to her for nearly as long. By a twist of fate they’re snowed in together over Christmas, and when Bram discovers that her preferences in the bedroom mirror his own, He won’t stop until he makes her his. He just has to help her get over the fact that he’s her best friend’s dad. 

This story checked all my boxes. It’s a quick read that didn’t feel rushed at all. I still got character development, and tension building to the fück it moment, along with multiple seriously hot spicy scenes. If you like it quick and dirty, (and lets face it, who doesn’t) this gem of a holiday novella by Cleo White will deliver it in style. This was my first book by this author, but she has such an original voice and style that I’m looking forward to checking out more of her work.

Thank you so much to Luna Literary MGMT and Cleo White for the ARC opportunity! 

 

Stôrmand ‘Storm’ Lane is 14 years older than his estranged Step-Niece Briar Lane, and when she shows up at the cabin he’s been living in one day out of the blue claiming to own it, neither of them knows where they’re headed. Briar is the heiress to her father’s company, and she can’t trust anyone around her, so she’s fled to the inherited cabin to finally escape everyone’s expectations. She never expected him.
Zaddy Stôrmand is everything. From the first darlin’ he had me ready to wear the cuff (IYKYK) and the way he wants to take care of Briar is incredible. He sees her in a way no one else has, and she touches a part of him that he’s had locked away for years. When these two come together, the pages sizzle. This is a spice heavy book, but it never felt repetitive or gratuitous to me. I enjoyed every dirty word Uncle Stôrm growled into our girl Briar’s ear. I haven’t yet read Chasin g Wild (the 1st book in the Crimson Ridge series), but I liked the style of this one so much, it’s near the top of my TBR!
Thank you to Luna Literary and Elliott Rose for the opportunity to ARC read and review Braving the Storm.

 

 I was lucky enough to be granted access to an Advanced Listener Copy and an Advance Reader Copy of My Favorite Holidate. I've said it before, but it bears repeating- Lauren Blakely is one of the queens of the modern spicy rom-com, and this book is no exception. I laughed out loud multiple times listening to the full cast recording. Let me say that again-FULL CAST RECORDING! It's the top of the line when it comes to audiobooks, and the cast that's been assembled for this book reads like The Avengers of audiobook narrators.
In the main roles of Wilder and Fable we have Jason Clarke and Samantha Brentmoor (a new personal favorite), and filling out the supporting cast (and in a particularly nice touch - reprising their past roles in the series) are Andi Arndt, Connor Crais, Vanessa Edwin, Andi Eloise, Teddy Hamilton, Erin Mallon, Noah Perez, Shakira Shute, and Ryan West. They all do an incredible job and make this such a fun listening experience. I will often times speed up the playback on an audiobook to be closer to my reading speed, but this was so entertaining I kept it at 1X the whole time. (IYKYK)
The holidays can be super stressful, so slip on some headphones, grab your favorite beverage, and let this fantastic story take you away.
Huge thanks to Lauren Blakely and her team for the ALC & ARC review opportunity.
The holidays can be super stressful, so slip on some headphones, grab your favorite beverage, and let this fantastic story take you away.
Huge thanks to Lauren Blakely and her team for the ALC & ARC review opportunity 

 I didn’t think anyone would be able to unseat Tristan as my favorite MMC in the Hunting universe, but Dallas Bright is that man. I love the character arc he has from childhood, and bad decisions to being the man who just wants to protect and worship Hemi from up close. This man is DOWN BAD in the hottest ways for our girl. Hemi has always been a lot. She’s passionate, determined, and a baddie in all the ways. She’s been told she’s too much by the wrong men, and Dallas can’t wait to show her that he can’t get enough.
I listened to the audiobook, and it was perfection. I laughed so hard I choked on my drink. This book had me blushing, laughing, feeling flushed for a whole other reason (IYKYK❤️‍🔥). Aside from a heated debate on whether anxiety boners were really a thing, my husband enjoyed what he heard as a bystander too! I highly recommend the audio. It’s funny, sexy, and emotional, with incredible performances by Andi Arndt and Stephen Dexter. It’s got definite re-listen potential for me.
Thank you to Helena Hunting and her team for the ARC & ALC review opportunity!